Match Preview: Balestier Khalsa vs Hougang United

The Cheetahs have one feet into the Singapore Cup Semifinals – unless they lose by a three-goal margin at the Toa Payoh Stadium on Friday.

The Boys of the Northeast capped a brilliant performance for themselves on Monday – with two goals in five minutes giving them a two goal advantage to go into this leg. The victory automatically wiped out a seven game winless streak, and it also wiped out Balestier’s twelve game unbeaten run.

The Cheetahs will still have their top striker Mamadou Diallo in doubt for this game – although the Guinean was seen taking set-pieces and doing some light runs in training on Thursday. Another player in doubt is also Syaqir Sulaiman, who was substituted in the game on Monday with a suspectible groin strain.

Johana Johari will surely know that the Tigers will be out for revenge in their own den, especially the last twenty minutes of the last leg, which had seen the Tigers throwing especially everything towards the Hougang’s defensive wall, however, it stood tall in needed times.

However, Paul Cunningham’s doubtful participation in the second leg will also leave a gaping hole in Balestier’s defence, something that Jerome Baker and Liam Shotton had exploited during the first leg. Cunningham was sent to hospital during half time for checks on his troubled knee.

For the Cheetahs, they just need to maintain their precious two goal lead, or go all out to finish off this time in this leg to put the tie out of reach for the Tigers, and they will appear in the last four in the RHB Singapore Cup, for the first time since 2011.